Now that the election is over and the inaugural hoopla has yet to begin, however will we entertain ourselves? How about with lists? Ian Strock's collection of "fascinating facts about our chief executives" offers hundreds of categories of presidential trivia. Who were the presidents with foreign-born wives? What are the most popular states for presidential burials? Which five presidents issued the most vetoes? You know you want the answers, and I'd guess so do friends and family — if they're politically inclined. This is Strock's first book (he earned a degree in political science from Boston University), and he's done everything he can to be inclusive, to the point of ... listing the presidents who appear on the fewest lists in his book, those who appear on the most and the average.

MELANIE LAUWERS

Looking Back

Yes, it's still November, but it's not too early to mull over what the best books of 2008 were. Publishers Weekly, www.publishersweekly.com, has already begun the process, asking its reviewers to list the books they consider the best of the year. No. 1 in the Children's Nonfiction category: "The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir," by John Busby, a former Falmouth police officer who went into hiding with his family after being shot in the face in 1979, and Cylin Busby. Here are the top entries in a few other categories:

Fiction: "When Will There Be Good News," Kate Atkinson

Poetry: "Watching the Spring Festival," Frank Bidart

Mystery: "Wild Inferno," Sandi Ault

Mass Market: "No One Heard Her Scream," Jordan Dane

Nonfiction: "How to Live: A Search for Wisdom From Old People (While They Are Still on This Earth)," Henry Alford

Lifestyle: "Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen," José Andrés

Religion: "Who On Earth Was Jesus? The Modern Quest for the Jesus of History," David Boulton

Religious Fiction: "The Shape of Mercy," Susan Meissner

Children's Picture Books: "In a Blue Room," Jim Averbeck

Children's Fiction: "Chains," Laurie Halse

WIRE AND OTHER REPORTS

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